Crystals for Healing

The practice of using crystals for healing started many centuries ago with some of the earliest recorded uses being as early as 4000 BC. Using crystals in different healing arts has been making a major comeback in the last 40 to 50 years. Crystals can be an incredible tool to help you heal mentally, physically, and spiritually. This article is a step by step guide to help you in selecting crystals for working on different areas of the body. In addition, we’ll present ideas for using different rocks and minerals to achieve any type of healing you're trying to accomplish. We’ll discuss the chakras, what they are, common stones associated with them, their appearance, and the functions of each of the primary 7 chakras.

Let’s start off with the basics: Chakras are energy centers that exist along your spine and are spinning at a strong and steady pace. This spinning motion is a reflection of the natural rhythm of the earth which can easily get knocked off balance when you're faced with the challenges of modern life.  There are 7 main chakras, known as the root, sacral, solar plexus, heart, throat, third eye, and crown chakras. These energy centers are tied to the physical and emotional problems that may occur in the body. Being able to analyze what is happening in your chakras is a very powerful way to tune into your mind, body, and spirit, and to find your energetic center. In order to analyze and understand what's happening in life, you need to pay close attention to which chakras react when you are in a stressful situation. Make sure to look closely at things to see if you find any patterns of recurring problems or illness which could clue you into which one of your 7 chakras that may be out of balance. We’ll go through each chakra individually and discuss its functions, how it can affect your life, and a few stones that may be helpful in working with that specific area of the body.

How To Use Crystals for Healing

Root Chakra 

The 1st chakra or root chakra is located at the base of the spine and is associated with the color red. It is connected with security, grounding, physical activity, confidence, and identity. If your root chakra is weak, or obstructed, you may feel like you are unhappy with your body size and shape. If it is overactive, you may find that you often explode angrily at the smallest things. This chakra is where you carry your trauma, and also your body's natural grounding center to the earth.

Here are a few stones that can help to heal this chakra:

Black Tourmaline:

This rock is pitch black in appearance, and because of this dark color, it has a very strong energy and ability to absorb negativity without compromising its own energy. Black Tourmaline is a powerful grounding stone that keeps you centered in the physical, well rooted to the earth, and will rid entire areas of dark energies and entities. It increases physical energy, strengthens the immune system, relieves anxiety, and enhances positive energy and creativity. Black Tourmaline also has the ability to cleanse one's physical and energetic bodies in addition to the surrounding environment. Its versatility and effectiveness physically, emotionally, mentally, and spiritually make it a favorite of collectors and a must-have for everyone interested in spiritual development.

Garnet: 

This beautiful crystal is a deep red in color and is another great stone to protect the user from negative energies. It can improve one's character via increasing interest in education and learning. Garnet is used for lessening trauma that is sometimes associated with the difficult situations that one may experience, and it has the ability to deflect those negative energies back to their origins, ridding one of the things that may have haunted them for many years,  potentially since childhood. Also known as an incredible purifier of the entire body, it assists in cleansing blood, heart, and lungs, while aiding in the assimilation of vitamins and minerals, making it a very useful tool for healing the spiritual as well as the physical.

Smoky Quartz:

This is a translucent stone that can vary in color and can look anywhere from light brown or reddish to black. It is one of the best grounding stones and can help you settle into your body and feel like you belong there. It neutralizes energy, bringing balance within the body of the wearer, as well as detoxifying on all levels. Smoky Quartz cleanses the physical body, combating electric smog, radiation, and issues of the digestive system. Doing all of this while dispersing fear, lifting depression, clearing negative energy, and replacing it with light filled positive energy that radiates throughout all 7 chakras, makes it one of the most popular choices for collectors and healers worldwide.  

Sacral Chakra

The 2nd chakra or sacral chakra is located in the lower abdomen and is associated with the color orange. This chakra is linked with sexuality, creativity, passion, and personal power. A low energy flow through your sacral chakra will result in a lack of energy and motivation. You may feel extremely lethargic or even depressed, which can lead to lacking joy. If it becomes overactive, you could experience constant frustration, and it could potentially lead to you breaking down in tears, feeling weak, and constantly compromising.

Here are some stones that can help to activate and clear your sacral chakra: 

Tigers Eye:

This gemstone is a gorgeous mixture of browns, tans, yellows, and black that is known to enhance grounding, increase psychic skills, and encourage the rise of the kundalini through the chakras. Tigers Eye can aid you while completing tedious tasks by pulling details together to make sense of the whole situation. It is also known for its ability to stimulate compassion and aid in removing negative habits. 

Amber:

This translucent stone is a powerful healer and cleanser of the body, mind, and spirit. It is able to draw disease from the body, healing and renewing the nervous system and balancing the left and right sides of the brain. Amber clears depression, stimulates the intellect, and promotes self confidence and creative self expression while encouraging sound decision making. It also is said to bring about balanced wisdom, spontaneity, and patience in your daily life. 

Carnelian:

This orange yellow crystal can be very effective in helping one to accept change by helping to embody the courage to take action. If you have a hard time with unexpected shifts, carrying Carnelian could help to make transitions easier. The powerful grounding properties of this stone can increase concentration and help with fears of floating away during astral travel and dreams.

 

Solar Plexus Chakra 

The 3rd chakra, or solar plexus chakra, is located behind the navel and is associated with the color yellow. It controls courage, honor, compassion, integrity, and responsibility to others. Inactivity of the solar plexus chakra will cause you to feel powerless, especially when you are under pressure. When it is overactive, you can experience the insatiable need to control everything about your life, which can lead to micromanaging, and create what we know as a control freak.

Some stones that can help with this chakra are listed below:

Citrine: 

This is a beautiful clear and yellow stone known to inspire confidence, clear mindedness, and lots of energy with which to pursue your goals. With Citrine, you can harness the energy of light and the energy from the sun embodied within it, which acts as a source of positivity in all aspects of your life. Citrine can help you to emanate joy and connect you to the broader universe in profound ways. It's also said to increase metabolism and help to facilitate a healthy digestive system.    

Rutilated Quartz:

This is a transparent crystal with the presence of golden brown needles due to the titanium oxide it contains. It's known to emit a clarifying radiance that lifts the spirit and supplies you with a daily dose of spiritual nutrition. Carrying Rutilated Quartz can help you make sense of the tough situations in your life. This is also a stone that is said to help ease depression and remove feelings of loneliness. It's a great stone for everyone to have as it is known to intensify the healing properties of all other crystals. 

Pyrite:

This rock is also known as fool's gold. Pyrite is a brass yellow mineral and a very powerful protection stone that shields against all forms of negative vibrations and energies. This stone works on the physical, etheric, and emotional levels to ensure full energetic protection. It stimulates the intellect and enhances memory, helping to recall relevant information when needed. Carrying this stone can help to find one's own path, enhance willpower to realize profound dreams, and promote optimism for the future. 

Heart Chakra 

The 4th chakra, or the heart chakra, is located in the center of the chest and is connected with the colors pink and green. It allows you to live life from your heart and to truly tap into your feelings. This has been and always will be one of the most effective ways to heal. A healthy heart chakra will bring integration and transformation. This process bridges one's earthly and spiritual aspirations and grounds them into physical reality.  If you find yourself feeling unattached to the people you love, or having trouble in your relationships, it may indicate weakness, blockage, or underactivity in your heart chakra. Overactivity in the heart chakra, on the other hand, could lead to becoming too attached to things. These negative tendencies can result in becoming overly emotional, dependent, or obsessed.

Let's talk about a few crystals that are associated with working on this chakra: 

Emerald:

This beautiful gemstone is a transparent green that has been adorned by royalty for many centuries. Emerald is known for opening one's connection with divine love and abundance. It's perfect for everything from healing heartbreak to simply making the decision to open your heart to unconditional love and compassion, which this world could definitely use more of. Carrying or wearing an emerald can help to attract a loyal partner, encourage friendship, and balance the mind, body, and spirit. 

Rose Quartz:

This rock is a soft, pretty pink color that is known to lend its soothing properties as soon as it enters one's auric field. Rose Quartz opens the heart chakra to create a deep sense of calm, inner healing, and self love. Its calm, nurturing presence can help to get one through times of grief, and free one from feelings of depression, anxiety, and negativity. Rose Quartz replaces these negative feelings with love, compassion, kindness, and tenderness. This powerful stone of love is a must-have for anyone hoping to elevate themselves above the stresses of everyday life. 

Peridot:

An undercurrent of universal love ties this crystal to its wearer, accompanied by good luck. It is used for alleviating jealousy, bitterness, hatred, greed, stress, and anger, while opening your heart to love, joy, and happiness. Peridot is also known to be one of the best detoxifiers of the body, neutralizing toxins as soon as it enters your life. 

 

Throat Chakra

The 5th chakra, or throat chakra is located just above the collarbone, at the throat, and is connected to the color blue. It promotes truth, communication, and honest living, while encouraging self expression. When weak, it can make one unable to express one's truth, and lead to issues in setting boundaries, leading to an inability to create healthy relationships with the people in our lives. Conversely, when overactive, it can result in speaking before you take the time to fully consider your thoughts, causing unnecessary arguments and hurtful words that can't be taken back. An unbalanced throat chakra can lead to an inability to articulate one's thoughts clearly, leading to miscommunications and frustrations. Let's talk about a few stones associated with healing this chakra.  

Aquamarine:

This transparent blue gem evokes the purity of crystalline water and the exhilaration and relaxation of the sea. Its calming properties inspire truth, trust, and letting go. Aquamarine can be a very powerful tool when it comes to soothing unpleasant emotions, giving one a strong ability to move, protect, and purify one's own energy. Its tendency to bring a joyful sense of clarity can aid one in being able to recognize and speak one's truth, aiding in any and all relationships or aspirations one may choose to pursue. 

Blue Kyanite:

Serving as a catalyst for full consciousness in waking, dreaming, and even dreamless sleep, this rock can help one pursue a path of transformation in all areas of life. Aiding in dream recall, dispelling negativity, and even clearing phobias, Blue Kyanite can help one see the light when dealing with the struggles of everyday life.

Angelite:

Said to be a wonderful stone of balance, Angelite can help to polarize and align one's physical body with the ethereal network. This crystal is often used in meditation as a calming stone, a clearer of anxiety, and a releaser of stress and turmoil. Angelite creates space for more positive energies to enter your aura. Known to quiet the spirit and help one surrender to a more open and vulnerable state, Angelite can be an incredible tool to help one communicate with angels or spirit guides, creating perpetual forward motion in one's spiritual journey.

 

Third Eye Chakra

The 6th chakra, or third eye chakra, is just above the eyebrows and connected with the color purple. It aids with intuition, guidance, self realization, and self mastery. If one is filled with a lack of clarity or has trouble seeing the truth in oneself or situations, it's a sign that your third eye chakra is in need of a cleanse, or is out of alignment. When underactive, it can create an inability to visualize goals and aspirations, and cause disorganization and clutter in the mental, the spiritual, and the physical. An overactive third eye chakra can lead to one feeling stuck, mixed emotions, closed off to new ideas, lack of intuition, or an inability to trust one's gut. It can cause regular nightmares, and can really slow or even stop one's spiritual growth.

Below are a few stones that can help to activate and align this important chakra: 

Amethyst:

This gorgeous purple crystal is an incredible protector against negative energies, relieves the energetic causes of insomnia, and promotes positive dreams while aiding in their interpretation. It's been used for centuries throughout the world to enhance motivation and memory, and to become open minded to one's intuition and divine guidance. Amethyst also helps with establishing inner peace with and beginning to trust and accept one's intuition and psychic abilities. Amethyst blocks electromagnetic stressors that manifest everywhere in today's world, making it another must-have for collectors and seekers on a journey toward peace and enlightenment.   

Labradorite:

This unique rock is used to trigger metaphysical and spiritual connections and activate higher mind abilities. Its powerful energies keep one grounded and anchored while encouraging one to simultaneously keep one's head in the clouds. Labradorite inspires one to reach for the stars in the quest for higher consciousness. Labradorite is a tool of transformation that will help the wearer achieve their goals and become the person they truly desire to be. 

Sugilite:

Sugilite assists in awakening your deepest dreams, bringing you the courage and optimism to pursue them, while also providing the fortitude to manifest those dreams into reality. Sugilite is one of the very best crystals for those who are highly sensitive and take on whatever energies are around them, providing a "shield of light" around the wearer and repelling negativity.

Crown Chakra

The 7th and final major chakra is known as the crown chakra, located at the top of the head and associated with the colors white and violet. It allows for the introduction of energy distribution through the body, creating spirituality, deep thought, intelligence, and higher learning. This is the pathway to all other chakras, which is why energy healers typically start with a cleanse of the crown chakra before beginning any therapeutic session. An imbalance here will lead to an inability to think clearly, leaving you lost and going about life without a specific purpose or path. When balanced and harmonious, it opens the doorway to spiritual enlightenment and ascension.  

Here are some crystals with an especially strong connection to the crown chakra:

Selenite:

This crystal is one of the most important tools in an energy worker's or crystal lover's arsenal, and is sometimes referred to as “liquid light” due to the way it clears energy blockages, allowing liquid-like energy fluidity. Its incredibly high vibration floods one's energy field with the highest vibrations of light, guiding and uplifting one's spirits into an elevated state of being while clearing confusion and aiding in seeing the deeper picture, creating a direct link to higher levels of consciousness. Selenite is also known to align the spinal column, the path of the chakras, ridding it of negative energies and instilling clear judgment and divine insight. Selenite is a very unique stone in that it never needs to be cleansed and can be used to cleanse all other crystals. It simply does not retain negative vibrations!     

Opal:

Opal is most known for its ability to bring out one’s strongest traits and characteristics to the surface of consciousness for reflection and transformation. Just as Opal absorbs and reflects light, it digs up thoughts and feelings, desires and buried emotions, amplifying them and returning them to the source. While magnifying one’s buried traumas may initially be uncomfortable, it allows for understanding how destructive these emotions can be and assists the process of releasing them. Opal also illuminates the positive aspects of the self, enhancing the best parts of us and fostering one’s highest level of awareness.

Clear Quartz:

This clear, liquid-like, majestic crystal has been widely used throughout history, and was believed by the Greeks to be eternal ice from the heavens. Known as the “master healer” it absorbs, stores, transmits, releases, regulates, and amplifies energy. It draws off negative energy of all kinds, neutralizing background radiation, including electromagnetic smog or petrochemical radiation. Clear Quartz can be charged with a specific intention or it will soak in whatever energy surrounds it, even the energy of other crystals. Quartz is used in technology of all kinds, including the hard drives and other components in our computers. This stone is also great at clearing auras, giving whoever carries it a clean slate, making space for whatever lies ahead on one's spiritual path. 

Conclusion

Now that you have a general understanding of the chakras, what they are, how they work, and a few stones that can help to activate each of them, you can decide where you'd like to start on the road to growth, balance, self improvement, and enlightenment. Once you have decided on a crystal or chakra to try to balance, cleanse, or activate, the next step, and maybe the most important step, is to set the intention. Intention is a very powerful yet commonly overlooked part of the process. There are many ways to accomplish this, and different things will work for different people, but here are a few simple ideas that can be used to properly set and realize an intention. Join us in future articles for different practices and ideas on how to use your crystals for healing!